Phoenix
by LanaBanana27
Summary: **Post Thor movie** Odin wants Loki to marry a princess of Balheim (Home of fire). A realm outside of Yggdrasil. The people there are barbaric and Loki wants nothing to do with them. But Princess Abilene is different, very different. Loki x OC. Rated T for safety.
1. Chapter 1 - The news

Odin walked down one of the prestigious corridors of the palace of Asgard. Passing guards in gold armour who patrolled in the afternoons, each stoned faced and expressionless. After months of planning and persuading, Odin had finally done it, he had arranged the meeting. He stopped at a pair of giant wooden doors and turned the golden handles.

"My sons," he said as he open the doors, inside were two men. One was tall, blonde and had the build of a man that had won many battles. And his opposite, who was slightly smaller, had black hair and looked cunning and intelligent.

"I bring good news. I have arranged a meeting with the royalty of Balheim!" Odin declared to his sons, Thor and Loki. Thor had been ranting on about battles he had won. Swinging his hammer about, re-enacting war stories dramatically. While Loki read, pretending to listen.

"Ah father! I was just telling Loki about the great battle of-" Thor began.

"Now, I'm sure that can wait," Odin interrupted, his face completely serious. "Loki, the King and Queen of Balheim have only one heir, their daughter, Princess Abilene,"

"And?" said Loki, looking up from his book.

"And you, Loki, my son, will marry her" Odin announced, proudly.

"Loki? Loki will marry her?" Thor said surprised.

"Me?" Loki said just as surprised. He had always expected something like this to happen to Thor. He being the favourite and the most likely to rule anything.

"Yes, Loki, you," Odin reassured them. A wicked smile grew upon Loki's face.

"So… I'll become a king instead of Thor…" Loki's eyes were full of mischief.

"Father! This cannot be! A fire being can't be Queen… their not even part of the nine realms of Yggdrasil!" said Thor, shocked at the idea of Loki, I mean, a fire being ruling Asgard.

"You're just jealous I get to be king!" Loki taunted, smirking.

"I am not! I am too great to-"

"Enough!" Odin roared. The brothers fell silent. Loki with a satisfied grin, under his breath he grunted, "Jealous…"

"Loki! You are not going to rule Asgard. You will live in Balheim and rule with Abilene there."

"What?" Loki's face dropped. Balheim was a terrible place; the world was made of fire, rock and ash, and the people there weren't much better.

"Do not fear, brother. I'm sure you will love it there!" Thor laughed sarcastically.

"This is not a laughing matter, Thor. The three of us will leave soon. Loki, prepare yourself. We must impress the King and Queen or the deal will be off!" With that, Odin left. Thor smirking with ego and Loki wide eyed with fear and shock.

"Loki-" Thor began.

"Shut up" Loki was in no mood for talking, and definitely not in the mood for Thor's enormous ego. How was he going to get out of this one?

"I will go tell the others where we are going," and Thor left Loki, frozen in place. There was no way he was ever going to marry a dirty, barbaric _fire being_. Then it hit him. Odin had said that if they didn't impress the King and Queen the deal would be off.

But why would Odin want Loki to marry into the royal family of Balheim? They have never been the type to seek allies, especially those of Yggdrasil. Loki stood up; placing the book on the table beside him. He paced around the room, thinking, when Frigga entered the room. She stood there with her hands folded in front of her. Her hair ran down her back in a blonde mass of neat curls. She was smiling but her eyes were sad.

"How are you Loki?" she said regally.

"I am … well, mother," he said, turning to face her.

"This is an exciting day for you Loki, aren't you happy?" Frigga asked, stepping closer.

"Why should I be?" Loki replied.

"Because, you are going to meet your future Queen for the first time. I hear she's a lovely girl," Frigga reasoned.

"Mother, she's of Balheim. A _fire being_. Whoever she is, _what_ever she is, she isn't lovely," Loki argued, almost panicking. He took a deep breath and said calmly, "Why me? Why not Thor?"

Frigga just looked at him, aching to tell the truth. Loki was a Frost Giant but he didn't know it, and Frigga was afraid of what would happen to him when he went to Balheim. But Odin would never let him be king of Asgard as a frost giant. But she just said "It's time, your father and brother are leaving now."

"But-"

"Go," Frigga insisted. Loki looked at her suspiciously but left all the same. Frigga watched him leave, eyes full of a secret sadness.

Loki met Thor and Odin at the Bifrost.

"Why so nervous, brother?" Thor said, slamming a hand onto his shoulder.

"I'm not," Loki said defensively.

"My king, I must warn you, my sight cannot go beyond the Yggdrasil. I will not be able to watch over you while in Balheim. When I open the Bifrost again in 3 hours, I will not know who or what will come through," warned Heimdall, as he slid his sword into the keyhole.

"We know, there is no need to fear," Odin reassured him but still Heimdall insisted he should not go.

"In three hours open the Bifrost, and that's an order," Odin said.

"Very well, my king." Said Heimdall sullenly, then he turned the sword and the Bifrost opened. In a rush of bright light, the king and his sons were transported to Balheim.

The three stood there, in the middle of a dark rocky plain. Streams of lava running through it like veins. The air they breathed was hot, dry and smelled of smoke. The sky was covered with clouds of ash as far as the eye could see. Volcanos that were spitting out molten rock scattered the horizon. Stained on the ground beneath them, was the tattoo that the Bifrost had left behind. In the distance they could see the kingdom of Balheim, a city made of black rock. The same rock that covered this realm.

As the three began walking towards the city, Loki's fear began to churn. He couldn't live here.

"Why did Heimdall put us so far away?" he said bitterly, "Now we have to walk all the way there!" Loki's nerves were getting the best of him.

"Ha ha! Heimdall can't see as far as Balheim, so it's not like he could aim the Bifrost!" Thor said, amused by Loki's nervousness. "Do not worry, brother. It's not that bad," Thor then lowered his voice to a whisper, "Besides, this only a meeting. If things don't go to plan, the deal will be called off and you won't have to marry this _Abilene_ person. Have hope Loki!"

"Thank you, Thor, I will try," Loki said half-heartedly. They had reached the gates of the city at last. Suddenly, they began to open.


	2. Chapter 2 - Balheim

The gates were huge and made of black stone. They carved into intricate weaving patterns. The walls on either side of the gate were even taller and were made up of black bricks, each the length and width of a man.

The gates suddenly opened slowly, creating a loud rumble that echo through the silence. When they were opened completely, Odin, Thor and Loki were confronted by to knights. Each Knight was sitting upon a brown creature that somehow resembled a horse. Each creature had big hooves that looked as hard as stone. Their heads were long like horses but from their mouths had long, needle like teeth that over lapped their lips.

The Knights were bare chested, very tanned and had long, dark brown hair. They carried long poles. On the end of each pole was an axe head. They wore helmets and armoured pants that looked as if they were made of metal scales the size of a palm. The men were buff and looked like they had been fighting all their life.

"Follow us, Asgardians," one of the men said in a low growl.

"Well aren't they delightful," Loki said sarcastically. The three of them followed the men into the city, the giant gates closing behind them.

As they walked through the city, they passed hundreds of people whose skin was stained with ash and dust, and they wore singed clothing. They never stood up right and they carried baskets of stones and dirt. The people looked at them as if they were aliens and they stared wide eyed and pointed as they went past.

"What strange people," said Thor, though he clutched the handle of Mjolnir, ready to swing. They continued walking through the streets of Balheim until they finally reached the doors of the palace. The palace was castle like and sinister looking. It was made of black stone but, in some places, was decorated with gold and sparkling jewels. The doors opened and revealed a massive hall.

The hall was large and open. The floor looked to be made of some kind of marble and down the middle was a long, dark purple carpet that stretched from the entrance to the other end of the room. At the end of the room were a pair of thrones. In one throne sat a woman who had wavy Dark brown hair, almost black. She was very tanned and she wore a black sleeveless dress that flowed out in front of her. In the second throne was a tall man with long, dark hair and tanned skin. He was bare chested and wore black pants.

"Asgardians, come forward," the King boomed across the hall.

"I hope he isn't as dumb as he looks…" Loki whispered to Thor.

"Be warned, these people have some very strange customs," Odin whispered back cautiously, "Aaron! What an honour it is."

The King stood from his throne but looked down at Odin, all most as if disgusted.

"And Queen Rayna," Odin bowed and Thor and Loki followed suit. "This is my son, Loki," Odin gestured to Loki.

"This is my daughter, Abilene" the king sat down on his throne and a figure in a black cloak stepped forward from behind the king's throne.

The figure removed the cloak and it fell to the floor. Every Asgardian jaw dropped. Before them stood a small lady with flawless, porcelain white skin. Her hair was snow white and dead straight. It cascaded down to her mid back. Her face looked so delicate that they feared if they spoke to loud, she would shatter. She wore a white dress that was cut off at the knees. But her most mesmerising feature was her eyes. They were like crystals reflecting the sky on a clear day. Despite all this, she looked sad.

"King Aaron and I must discuss further matters, Loki, come. Let these two be acquainted with one another," said Loki, and Loki, Loki, King Aaron and his Queen Rayna left through one of the many doors.

There was an awkward tension in the air as the two of them just stared at the ground.

"Nice place," said Loki as his feeble attempt to start a conversation. But she just nodded slightly and said, "I hate it". Her voice so small and sweet, it sounded like birds in spring.

"So do I," said Loki, and they both laughed a little.

"Would you like me to show you around?" Abilene asked, nervously. She didn't know what else to say, she had never met an Asgardian before.

"Sure," Loki said with a welcoming smile that could lighten any mood.

Abilene led Loki to the royal gardens, the only interesting place she could think of.

The garden was like no other garden Loki had ever seen. Instead of stream of water, it was a slow moving river of bubbling lava. Rather than trees or plants, there were decoratively places rocks and stones. The gravel paths were lined with torches burning red flames.

"This is the royal garden," Abilene said sullenly.

"It's….." Loki began, not really knowing what he was going to say.

"Depressing? Yeah, the people of Balheim don't appreciate beauty as much as they should," She said picking up a stone and throwing it into the lava stream.

"I was going to say hot," Loki half laughed. The heat in this world was intense and his face was beginning to sweat.

"Oh! You're overheating," Abilene delicately put the back of her hand on his forehead, having to stand on her toes to do so. Her hand was ice cold and it chilled Loki to the bone.

"You are so cold!" Loki exclaimed.

"It's a gift," she smiled a removed her hand shyly.

"Abilene, why are so different from everyone else here?" Loki asked curiously.

Abilene smiled, she had asked that question herself many times.

"Well, it's quite complicated." She said

"Great, I love complicated things," Loki said smartly.

"Ok... Once every five generations, a child is born different. They call it the 'ice child'. This child is pure white and ice cold. The complete opposite of everyone else," she explained.

"That wasn't so bad," Loki said.

"There's more. The child is born with a mark on their back, a phoenix," She turned around, her back facing Loki and pulled her white hair over her shoulder. Just above the rim of her dress was the black outline of a phoenix's head, she continued, "Also, the child has… powers."

"What sort of powers?" Loki asked. Abilene turned around to face him again. Her eyes suddenly changed colour. They were now a bright orange and they flickered like flames. She raised her hands to her hips, palms facing up. Suddenly, fire blazed from them, creating balls of fire no bigger than a fist. She suddenly threw one of them at a large boulder and it exploded in a mass of molten rock.

"Remind me never to get on your bad side!" Loki said, wide eyed. The fire died and Abilene smiled and laughed a little. Loki looked at her; she wasn't what he was expecting at all. The Balheim people were almost savage. They had barbaric customs and traditions and they were aggressive. But Abilene was none of that. She seemed kind and gentle and delicate. She was beautiful too.

"What is it?" Abilene asked.

"What is what?" Loki said as he lost his train of thought.

"You were staring at me," She said, blushing.

"No I wasn't," Loki said defensively

"You were! Am I… am I really that strange?" Abilene asked sadly. She had grown up so different from everyone around her, and they all thought she was strange.

"No! I just think you're… beautiful," Loki said shyly. Abilene's face lit up with happiness. No one had ever said that to her.

"Loki, we are leaving," Odin was standing at the entrance of the garden. Loki hesitated, not wanting to leave, but Odin looked mad, "Now Loki!"

This confused him, "Oh, well good bye, Abilene," he said. Although he smiled, he was afraid he would never see her again. It seemed that the meeting didn't go too well. Loki followed Odin and Thor out of the garden, but not without one last glance. He looked back to see Abilene smiling shyly at him, her hands folded across her stomach and her snow white hair flowing down her back. She stared at him happily with those big crystal blue eyes.

Loki followed Odin and Thor out of the kingdom. Odin was walking with an angry pace that was hard to keep up with. They left the city and began walking across the rocky plain.

"My guess is that the meeting didn't go too well," Loki inquired.

"You guess correctly brother. There is hope for you yet! Although, it is still possible for the deal to still work out," Thor said.

"What do you mean?" Loki asked.

"Although they argued most of the time, they have arranged another meeting in a few days. There is a chance you will still have to marry the girl but I believe it is most likely you will not," Thor said hopefully.

"That King is barbaric! He is an animal! It is impossible to make any form of deal…" Odin ranted angrily, about the king all the way back to Asgard.


	3. Chapter 3 - Bath house

A few days later

"Loki! We're leaving!" Thor called from the corridor. Loki was in his room going over clever things he could say to Abilene. He half ran to the door and opened it, Thor was standing on the other side.

"Well aren't you in a hurry," Thor looked at Loki suspiciously, "If I didn't know any better, I would say you _want_ to go to Balheim," he raised an eyebrow.

"Lucky you know better then," Loki snapped, "come on, father is waiting."

Together they left the palace, Loki could feel Thor's eyes on him the whole way. It made him nervous. Odin was at the Bifrost, speaking with Heimdall. Heimdall seemed uneasy at the idea of going back to Balheim, he didn't trust the plan.

"It will be fine, now open the Bifrost," said Odin.

"Is that an order?" said Heimdall hesitantly.

"Yes," said Odin and Heimdall opened the Bifrost.

They landed in the same place as last time, except there was an unpleasant surprise waiting for them. A Magma troll. The beast looked like any other troll except it was made of black stone and its insides were lava that shone through the cracks in the stone. The troll roared, spitting lava in their direction, but not before they leaped behind a boulder.

"Got any ideas?" Loki panted, looking at Thor then Odin.

"Yeah, I have one," Thor shouted back of the roars of the troll.

"Well? What is it?" Loki shouted. Thor looked at him and grinned. He jumped out from behind the boulder. The troll roared again and began to charge. Thor swung his hammer a couple of times, building momentum before letting go. It went straight through the troll's chest, leaving a giant hole. The troll stopped for a moment, just 10 feet away. Thor smiled again, feeling accomplished. But then the hole started to heal, molten rock filling the hole slowly.

Thor's grin disappeared. Loki and Odin came out from behind the rock and stood with Thor.

"Got any _better_ ideas?" Loki asked.

"Run!" Thor shouted. They began to run towards the city, dodging boulders and streams of lava. The troll began to charge again, roaring behind them. He was big but he was fast, and gaining on them. Thor suddenly threw his hammer behind him in an attempt to take the trolls head of. It worked but the beasts head just grew back.

"I thought we established that that wasn't going to work!" Loki shouted at Thor.

"Do you have any better ideas?" Odin shouted back. Loki suddenly pulled them behind another boulder.

"Hiding doesn't work either, Loki!" Thor bellowed.

"Shhh! Look," Loki whispered. The three of them looked around the boulder. The troll was running the other way chasing three men. One was older and had white hair, one was tall and blonde and the third had a green cape and black hair. They were exact replicas. The troll eventually caught up with them but when he grabbed at them, they disappeared. Confused the troll went into a nearby cave.

"Excellent idea, Loki!" Odin said.

"Yes, well done!" Thor praised.

"Let's just get to city, ok?" Loki said, but when they got to the hall and stood in front of the King, Queen and Princess, they were filthy.

"You are late!" King Aaron thundered.

"Sorry but we ran into a Magma Troll on our way here and-" Odin tried to explain

"That is no excuse! Now let us talk with the little time we have left," Aaron and Rayna stood and left through the same door as last time. The corner of Odin's mouth twitched a little, trying to hold back the fury, but Odin and Thor followed anyway.

"Loki!" said Abilene happily. She skipped down a few steps to get to him.

"Hello Abilene" He said a little exhausted from running from the troll.

"You are a mess, what happened?" she asked concerned.

"We had a run in with a Magma Troll," Loki explained.

"Oh! Well, come with me. I'll get you cleaned up," she said taking his hand and leading him through another door. Her hand was so soft and cold, it was like holding the air of a winter's morning.

She led him to the bath house. When they entered, they took off their shoes. The bath house was a large room with a big pool in the middle, waste deep. The bottom of the pool was black rock that made the water seem dirty although it was crystal clear. Around the pool were tables with sponges, stones, soaps and lotions on top of them.

"Come," Abilene said smiling. She led him to the edge of the pool and said "Sit"

Nervously, he sat and crossed his legs and looked at his reflection in the water. He _was_ filthy. She stood behind him and took off his cape and he let her. Then she shyly removed his shirt, revealing his bare chest. He wasn't as muscular as his brother but he didn't look at all weak. Abilene took a sponge from the table and dipped it into the warm water. She started stroking the dirt away from his arm gently.

"What is Asgard like?" she asked as she cleaned the ash away.

"What do you mean?" Loki said nervously.

"I've only heard stories, but all of them say that it's beautiful there. Is it true?" she dipped the sponge into the water again and continued to stroke his arm.

"Yes," he said as he watched her hand move the sponge along his forearm, "Asgard is the most beautiful place I have ever seen"

She finished his left arm, stood up and sat on his other side. She dipped the sponge into the water again. She started stroking the other arm gently with the sponge and he watched her.

"What does the water look like?" she asked curiously.

"The water?" Loki said puzzled, "It looks like water"

She laughed a little and smiled, and that made Loki smile. "They say what you see in the reflection of water is the truth. Here in Balheim, if you look across a lake all you see is an ashen sky and erupting volcanos," she laughed sadly, "What do you see in Asgard's water?"

Loki studied her face, she seemed sad, curious and lonely all mixed into a beautiful girl.

"I see blue," He said and their eyes met, hers full of wonder, "I see blue skies, green hills and a golden palace that towers over Asgard"

She smiled, "It sounds amazing". She dipped the sponge into the water again and gently rubbed ash off his cheek, then his other cheek. Then she gently brushed over his lips. Still holding their gaze Loki leaned in closer, their faces only centimetres apart. Her eyes were wide and innocent. Her lips looked so soft .

She smiled a little, then leaned away. She then put the sponge to his forehead to clean away more dirt. He closed his eyes and Abilene gently stroked down his nose with the sponge and kissed his forehead. When Loki opened his eyes she blushed and smiled shyly.

"You look like you need a clean too," Loki said playfully. She frowned confused, then suddenly, Loki pulled them both into the water. Although they were now soaked, they both laughed. She splashed water at him playfully and he splashed back and they laughed. He went to grab her playfully and she squealed. He half chased her through the water and playfully pulled her into a hug. They laughed again and smiled until suddenly, Odin and Thor came in, still filthy.

Abilene looked at them innocently, her dress and hair soaked. Loki just looked embarrassed, he was bare-chested and his pants were soaked.

"We're leaving," said Odin through gritted teeth. The meeting obviously didn't go well again. They climbed out of the pool and Abilene took two fluffy grey towels off a nearby shelf and handed one to Loki.

Thor raised an eyebrow and looked from Loki to Abilene, "You two look like you had fun!" he smirked. Loki gave him a threatening glare, telling him to shut up. Abilene just grinned happily and dried her hair with the towel.

"Loki, get dressed r we'll miss the Bifrost!" Odin said, he was mad, very mad. Loki quickly got dressed and put on his shoes. He went to follow Thor and Odin out the door but suddenly was stopped by a gentle kiss on the cheek.

"Good bye, Loki" Abilene said fondly. Loki smiled and reluctantly left.

Thor and Odin were waiting for him in the big hall. Odin looked pissed and Thor looked amused.

"So…" Thor began smirking.

"Shut up," Loki said, shooting him threatening look, "How did the meeting go this time, he said to Odin.

"Terrible! Although, we're finally getting somewhere. If we can't make a deal next time that will be it!"

Together they left the hall and made their way back to the Bifrost, carefully avoiding Magma Trolls


	4. Chapter 4 - The Escape

A few days later

Loki had spent the last few days searching for a gift to give to Abilene, for this might be the last time he will ever see her again. After searching for days he finally decided on what to give her. He found a popular blacksmith and payed him to make a necklace made of Asgardian silver. The chain had a single charm. A letter 'A'. On the thick part of the 'A' was an intricate engraving of a Phoenix with a tiny ruby eye.

Loki was walking with Thor to the Bifrost.

"What's that?" asked Thor curiously. Loki shoved the little box into his pocket.

"None of your business, brother," Loki said.

"Is it… for Abilene?" Thor teased. Loki said nothing.

"Ha! It is!" Thor said triumphantly.

"And? What of it?" Loki said protectively.

"Oh, nothing," Thor said half laughing. Suddenly his mood changed, "this might be the last time you'll see her," he looked concerned.

"I know," said Loki. They reached the Bifrost. Odin had been waiting for them. He gave Thor a 'Make sure you're ready to swing your hammer when we get there look' and Thor nodded.

Heimdall opened the Bifrost reluctantly and they were zapped to Balheim. It was silent; the three of them listened for any sign of monsters that might want to hurt them. Nothing happened so they began walking.

There was an awkward silence while they walked. They all had their own things to think about. Odin thought about what he could say to get this deal to work. Thor thought about how Loki might react if the deal wasn't made. And the only thing Loki could think about was Abilene. He thought about how beautiful she was, how kind and gentle she was. He also worried that she might not like the gift. He hadn't seen her wear any jewellery, maybe she didn't like wear it. He suddenly regretted buying it, but it was too late. They were at the palace doors again.

The doors opened. Loki took a deep breath and followed Odin and Thor inside. Once again King Aaron and Queen Rayna sat prestigiously in their thrones and Abilene stood behind her father.

Her hair was half braided, half down. She wore a white, knee-length dress with a silver belt. Besides her general beauty, she seemed to have been crying. Her crystal blue eyes were wet with tears. Apart from that, she still smiled a little when she saw him.

"King Aaron," Odin bowed.

"This is your last chance Odin; if you cannot meet my requirements then a deal will not be made!" Aaron bellowed as though he was already mad.

"Well, let us discuss the matter," said Odin and as usual, the four of them left, leaving Loki and Abilene alone.

As soon as the door shut behind them, Abilene ran at Loki, rapping her arms around his neck, crying.

"What's wrong? What happened?" Loki asked urgently.

Through tears Abilene replied, "The deal, it won't be made"

"Why not?" Loki asked

She pulled away a little so that she could see her eyes. "Because, in return for you marrying me," she smiled a little, "My father wants half of your Asgardian army and the Casket of Ancient Winters" she admitted, tears running down her face.

Loki wiped her tears away with his thumb, "What can I do?" Loki said hopelessly.

She stared at him hopelessly and said, "Take me with you"

"What? I can't do that!" Loki said bleakly, "You know I can't"

"I don't want to live here anymore than you do," she pleaded, "_Please,_ Loki I… I love you"

She stared at him with big blue eyes, pleading desperately. "I love you too… But I can't take you to Asgard," he said, tears were filling her eyes, "But, I can take you to earth"

"Earth? What is _Earth?_" she said through tears.

"It's nowhere near as great as Asgard but it's better than here," Loki said, he looked over his shoulder to be sure no one was listening. They were alone.

"Ok, let's go to _Earth_," She smiled a little.

"One problem, how do we get there?" Loki said thoughtfully, "We can't use the Bifrost; Heimdall would try to stop us"

"I know a way," she said smiling a little, "follow me". She led him down a corridor holding his hand. She stopped at a door labelled _"Trophy Room"_ in the common tongue. Abilene led Loki inside. It was a long thin room and along the walls were paintings of battles, weapons and the heads of some ugly things. At the very end of the room was a glowing, red orb inside a glass sphere.

"What is it?" Loki asked. Abilene picked it up carefully.

"It is a piece of our world's core. It can open portals to other worlds but only for a few seconds," she gave it to Loki carefully, "think of a place on Earth, picture it, then smash the glass on the floor, then the portal will open"

"Are you sure?" Loki asked

"Yes," she reassured him. Suddenly, Thor entered the room.

"Loki? What are you doing?" Thor's eyes were wide

"Hurry, Loki!" she said, fear in her eyes. Loki looked at Thor apologetically then smashed the glass.

A huge red disc of red energy appeared before them.

"Loki, no!" Thor came charging at them but it was too late. They stepped through the portal.

Suddenly they were above a forest. They fell about thirty feet into it. They lay in the dirt and pine needles for a few seconds. The smell of a pine forest fills their noses.

"Are you ok, Abilene?" Loki asked, helping her up.

Abilene smiled "I'm fine and you can call me Abi," She kissed him on the cheek and started walking towards the clearing up ahead. Loki followed. Abilene looked up just in time to see the portal close.

They walked together towards the clearing, their clothes were torn and dirty but they didn't care.

"Hey, you mentioned someone called Heimdall, who is he?" Abilene said, take Loki's hand.

"Heimdall is the all-seeing gate keeper of Asgard," Loki explained.

"Doesn't that mean he can see us now?" she asked. Loki let go of her hand and his arm around her shoulder.

"Not necessarily," Loki grinned mischievously.

"What do you mean?" she looked at him suspiciously.

"I have ways," he laughed. They came into the clearing. It was a paddock of a few acres and at the very end of it was a little farm house.

Loki and Abilene walked towards the farmhouse talking happily about what to do next, when a silent storm was building behind them. In the middle of the storm was Thor. He had gotten through the portal before it closed. He watched them walk together. He had to do something, but if Loki realised he was there, he would fight back. Then someone might get seriously hurt.

He charged up his hammer in the electrical air, just enough to knock him unconscious without hurting him. Although he didn't want to, he took his aim. But just as he let go of the charge, Abilene saw him. Her eyes stood out like diamonds at the bottom of a puddle.

She pushed Loki out of the way and the charge hit her instead.

"No!" Loki screamed. There was a scorch mark on the ground where the lightening had hit. Loki pulled himself off the ground and ran to Abilene's side. She was lying face down in the burnt grass the back of her dress burnt enough to show most of the magnificent phoenix markings. They were glowing bright red but were slowly fading.

Loki looked over his shoulder, tears of anger, sadness and love running down his face. Thor landed beside him, a horrified look on his face. It was only enough charge to knock Loki out. Electricity must affect her differently.

"What have you done?" Loki screamed. He rolled Abilene into his arms but she was limp, "Abi…"

"I… I'm" Thor tried.

"You're what? Sorry?" Loki growled through gritted teeth.

"Eh… Where am I?" Abilene's voice was a mere whisper.

"Abi? Abi are you-" Loki said desperately.

"Who am I?" she whispered, she was too weak to open her own eyes. She fell back into unconsciousness.

"Her memory… she lost her memory," Loki whispered to himself. A man came out of the little farm house shouting something.

"Loki, let's go," Thor put a hand on his shoulder put he shook it away.

"Don't… touch me," he looked down at Abilene's face, it was full of pain.

"We must leave now," Thor insisted.

"We _can't_ leave her here!" Loki snapped, tears still running down his face.

"Would you rather take her back home to Balheim? She hated it there," Thor reasoned. Loki knew it was true, she wouldn't want to go back there whether she remembered it or not. Loki lay her back down gently and pulled out the small box. He opened it, revealing the chain with a single charm.

"I was going to give this to her, but now she will never know who it is from," he gently put the necklace on her and clipped it behind her neck, his tears landing on her pale cheek.

The man from the farm house was coming closer, but not close enough to make out his features.

"What are you going to tell father?" Loki asked, trying to restrain the tears from his red eyes.

"Heimdall could not see us, yes?" Thor asked and Loki nodded. "Then we will till father that we saw her trying to run away and we tried to stop her but we lost her and we don't know where she is," Thor's eyes were the most serious Loki had ever seen them.

Thor pulled Loki into a hug and he didn't resist. The man was getting to close, soon he would see them. They ran into the forest and out the other side where Loki lifted his spell and Heimdall sent them home.


	5. Chapter 5 - Who am I?

"Lady, wake up. Wake up, Lady!" She slowly came back into consciousness. Something was shaking her at the shoulders and speaking to her. The voice was the voice of a middle-aged man with a Chinese accent.

She slowly opened her eyes. It was blurred at first but her vision soon came back.

"Lady?" the voice said again.

She thought for a moment and the first thing she thought to say was, "Who am I?" She stared at the man but he didn't answer. He was a short Asian man with long black hair and a thin moustache that hung down on either side of his lips. "Who are _you_?" she then said.

She slowly she sat up, she was dizzy at first. She looked around. She saw that she was at the edge of a field near a pine forest. "_Where_ am I?" she said.

She suddenly felt a lot better and began thinking straight, "How did I get here? Why am I here?" she hesitated then asked again, "Who am I?"

Tears began to fill her eyes and hopelessness filled her mind. She didn't know anything.

"Shhh, Shhh, now. I don't know the answer to any of those questions except one. I am Poe and I will take care of you for now," Poe said. He helped the girl to her feet, "Can you walk?" she nodded. She seemed small for her age, whatever that was. Her skin was pale and flawless, almost like she had never seen the sun. She had long hair that was as white as snow and dead straight.

Poe noticed something on her back, "Wait," he said holding her still. Pulling back scrappy pieces of slightly burnt material, he saw the outline of a Phoenix. It was glowing a faint red but faded to black, it looked like a tattoo. The beak of the Phoenix just reached her neck, the tail feathers trailed just past her hip and the wings opened to her shoulder blades.

"What is it?" she asked, a little afraid.

"Nothing," he said, "Just, until you find your real name, I will call you Phoenix"

"I think my name started with 'A'" said Phoenix. She was holding the charm of a necklace that she was wearing. The charm was the letter 'A' with a Phoenix engraved into the side.

"Maybe, but for now, you are Phoenix," he reassured her. Poe led Phoenix to his house. It was small and rustic but cosy. He had herbs drying from the roof in the little kitchen and a fireplace in the back wall. Poe went to a large cupboard and opened it. Inside were blankets, first aid kits, medicine and various other items. He pulled out two thick woollen blankets and a quilt. Poe then folded the two thick blankets in half and lay them near the fire to serve as a bed. Then he lay the quilt on top as a blanket.

"You will sleep here," he said plainly, "Are you hungry?"

Phoenix thought about it for a second, "Yes, thank you"

"Do you eat rice?" he asked as though he were testing her.

"I… I don't know," she admitted sadly

"Of course you eat rice, everyone eats rice!" Poe said. He lit the gas stove in the kitchen and put a pot on top of it.

"Pass me that bucket of water, careful it's… heavy," Poe said as Phoenix picked up the ten litre bucket of water with one arm easily. He poured some of the water into the pot, filling it a quarter. Then he opened an overhead cupboard and took out a bag of white grains. Poe then poured a couple cups of rice into the water and put the lid on the pot.

"You are strong," he said, he always seemed to be judging her, testing her.

"Am I?" Phoenix asked genuinely not knowing. Poe picked up a watermelon that had been sitting on the bench and threw it at her with a slight struggle under its weight. She caught it like a basketball effortlessly.

"Hmm, interesting," Poe scratched his chin in thought.

"Is there something wrong with me?" Phoenix asked curiously.

"I don't know…" Poe went back into the kitchen and started chopping carrots. Phoenix was so small and delicate looking, like a porcelain doll, yet she could catch a watermelon like it was full of air.

Phoenix began looking around the house and Poe watched her. It was as if she was from another world.

"What do you remember?" Poe asked, testing her.

"Nothing. Although I think I woke up at one point before you came," she said looking at a little bottle of pills she found on the fireplace.

"And?"

"I couldn't open my eyes or hear very much, but it was a man's voice," she said thoughtfully, "Whoever he was he seemed upset about something,"

"I did see two men standing around you. But they ran into the forest before I could see their faces," he said as he put the carrot pieces into the pot with the rice.

"What do you think happened to me?" she asked.

"I heard a lightning strike out in the field, and then I saw you there," Poe said truthfully.

"You think I got hit by lightning?" Phoenix asked.

"It's possible," he said thoughtfully.

"Who are you anyway?" Phoenix asked. Poe thought for a moment but decided to stay silent. "Ok, why do you live here?" Still he said nothing.

"The rice is done," he said finally. He scooped some into two bowels and gave one to her. She thanked him and ate it gratefully. After, it was dark and she was tired, so she slept in the makeshift bed, thankful that someone had found her and that she didn't have to sleep outside.

That night she had dreams of fire, ash and erupting volcanos.

The next morning she woke up to birds chiming loudly outside. She sat up; she could hear something else too. She could hear a simultaneous _pat_ with a grunt of exertion. She looked outside the door. There were bags of sand tied to a wooden cross to look something like a man. Poe was kicking and punching the 'man' expertly.

"Can you teach me?" Phoenix asked, interrupting his rhythm.

"What?" Poe panted; sweat dripping down his face, even though it was a chilly morning.

"Can you teach me" she repeated. She walked over beside him. He wasn't wearing a shirt and his toned chest was dripping with sweat.

"This is extreme martial arts," Poe said catching his breath, "no,"

Phoenix pouted but stepped forward to face the dummy. She copied the moves she just saw exactly, except with more power.

Poe was stunned, "You're a fast learner," he said, and then he gave in, "Fine, I'll teach you"


	6. Chapter 6 - What am I?

30 years later

"Good morning!" said Phoenix happily as she cooked pancakes in a pan. Poe slowly sat down at the table, his hair was now grey and his moustache a lot longer. He even wore glasses.

Phoenix placed a stack of two pancakes down in front of Poe. "Thank you Phoenix," he said, his voice was old and frail.

"Guess what Poe!" she said cheerfully.

"What is it?" he said slowly.

"It has been exactly thirty years since the day you found me," Phoenix brought over a book of photos and sat down next to him. Poe opened the book and flicked through the photos. He smiled at them but then frowned, flicking through them faster.

"What is it?" Phoenix asked with concern.

"Over thirty years…" he held out two photos, one was taken yesterday and the other was taken when Phoenix had finished martial arts completely, four days after they met. "You look like you have only aged a year,"

They looked down at the photos. The only difference between the two pictures of Phoenix was that in the new photo, her hair was shoulder length and in two pony tails.

"You should be at least 55 years old now…" Poe said disturbed.

"But… What does this mean?" she asked, for the first time in a long time she was scared. She held the charm of her necklace in her fist, that's what she did when she was nervous.

"I don't know," Poe said sadly, "perhaps-"

"Shhh!" Phoenix shushed him urgently.

Shocked, Poe said, "Excuse-"

"Shhh!" she shushed again, "Helicopters," she whispered. She looked out the window and in the distance there was a helicopter, too far away for an normal person to hear.

"Poe, they have SHIELD written on the side of the helicopters!" she looked back at Poe. His face had gone pale with fear. "Poe?"

"They've found me…" he said, wide eyed.

"Who's they? And what is shield?" she asked frantically.

"I never told you the whole truth, Phoenix," he admitted as Phoenix ran around closing curtains and locking doors.

"Then tell me now," she said, propping a chair against the door.

"You better sit down…" he said solemnly

"I'm a bit busy right now, just tell me," she said putting out the fire.

"The truth is, when I found you, I was a spy for the Chinese government. I did some bad things here in America, and I made my way up the most wanted list," Poe said carefully. Phoenix had stopped and was staring at him, wide eyed.

"That's why I could teach you 14 languages, 20 forms of martial arts, first aid techniques, sword fighting, fire arms, hacking techniques, bomb diffusions and all that," Poe continued.

"So these people are coming to arrest you?" she said caringly and Poe nodded almost crying. "Well let's go then!"

She grabbed a loaded pistol from under the sink and led the old man through the back door. They ran, but not very fast. Poe couldn't run with his tired old legs and Phoenix couldn't leave him behind, he was her first and only friend. He was almost her father.

There was a deafening bang, bang, bang. Poe fell to the ground. He had been shot in both his legs.

"No!" Phoenix screamed. She turned to face his shooter. There were ten men in bulletproof vests with machine guns all pointing at her. Tears of anger ran down her face. She lifted the pistol. She fired and it hit one of them right between the eyes. He fell limply to the ground.

Then they fired at her. They hit her shoulder. It felt like barb wire was being pulled through her, but that didn't matter. She fired and hit someone right between the eyes again, even though she could barely see through her tears.

She got shot again, this time, through the knee. Somehow her shoulder had healed but she lost balance and fell to the ground. She shot another one down and they shot back through her other shoulder. She screamed in pain.

Something was pulling on her shirt, it was Poe.

"Poe?" she whimpered. He was slowly bleeding to death.

"Don't die for me, Phoenix," he barely whispered, "Run". Tears running down her face. The men were getting closer, too close. A ball of fiery anger was building inside her. It grew and grew, and then suddenly she felt the tip of a gun to the back of her head. That anger exploded.

A fiery shockwave blew every man at least ten feet back. The explosion had left a huge scorch mark, flattened trees and fiery wings burning from her back. They were beautiful, like Phoenix wings.

Poe died in her arms and she shut his eyes. She would have liked to have buried him but more people would be here soon. She had to leave now. Phoenix stood and tested her new found wings. She could fly a little but she needed practiced. Ten men were scattered on the ground around her not moving. She walked past them, realising her supremacy. Then one grabbed her ankle.

She bent down and lifted him by the collar, he began sweating from the heat of her fiery wings. He looked into her eyes, they seemed on fire.

"Who are you?" she said threateningly.

"Agent Colson," he swallowed nervously, "Who are you?"

She smiled sadly, "Honestly, I don't know. But you can call me Phoenix," she dropped him to the ground and walked away.

Just before she went into the forest, she let go of her anger and energy. The fire wings disappeared and her eyes were blue again. Her back still burned where the phoenix markings were glowing. She walked through the forest calmly and quietly. The air was cool and moist and smelled of pine.

She thought of Poe. He was old and tired. Part of Phoenix thought he wanted to die, but she didn't want to believe that. She came out of the other side to a highway. She hid behind a tree when three shield trucks went past. When she came out of the forest completely, something strange happened. A random storm swirled above her.

Suddenly, a huge burst of light came crashing down next to her. When the light faded, there was a man standing in a red cape.

"Hello Abilene," the man said almost apologetically.

"Oh, fuck off!" she said wearily.

"Excuse me?" He said confused.

"You heard me; I have had a shit day. I don't need to be abducted by aliens or whatever you are too!" she said angrily.

"I know you are grieving but-" He tried again

"No!" she said sternly.

"Maybe another time then?" the strange man suggested, slightly confused.

"Ok then," she turned to leave in the other direction but the man grabbed her around the waste and pulled her into the circle.

"Just kidding," he laughed and they were zapped away.


	7. Chapter 7 - Where am I?

In Asgard

Phoenix struggled free from the man's grip.

"Get off me! What did I just say! Where am I? Come on, what is this? Some spaceship or something?" she yelled, her voice echoed inside the gold dome. She turned around to see the bridge, "And there's a rainbow bridge! A rainbow bridge? I must be going crazy!"

"Calm down Abilene, before you hurt yourself!" Thor laughed at Phoenix's struggle to comprehend.

"Abilene?" said a voice from behind her. She fell silent; she had heard that voice before. "Abi?" it said. She turned around slowly. A man was standing there. He had black hair, a green cape and eye's full of hope.

Phoenix frowned, "Do I know you?" she said quietly. The man's eyes turned sad as if he was remembering a cruel memory.

"My name is Thor," said the man that kidnapped her, "and this is Loki," he gestured to the man in the green cape.

"Loki…" Phoenix repeated, suddenly she got a mental image of him covered in ash and dirt. She flinched a little at the memory.

"Abilene! We have found you at last!" another man joined them inside the dome. He was older, had white hair and a gold eye patch over his right eye.

"Why do you people keep calling me that?" she said quietly.

"Because that is your name," The older man said, confused.

"My name is Phoenix!" she said, getting a little angry. The older man looked at Thor for answers.

"She appears to have lost her memory, Odin," said Thor to the old man, calmly.

"Is that true, princess?" Odin asked her.

"Yes. I woke up without a memory exactly 30 years ago today," she said.

"Hmmm…." Odin thought to himself for a minute, "I need to make some arrangements," and he left.

"I'll come with you, father," and Thor followed.

Loki had been standing in the shadows the whole time, looking gloomy. Phoenix looked at him nervously, and fiddled with her charm, tracing the phoenix with her thumb. Loki smiled but she didn't notice. She walked out of the dome and stared out at the sea, taking in the magnificence. Loki moved next to her.

"You know, they say what you see in the reflection of water-" Loki began.

"Is the truth?" she finished. Loki smiled a little.

"Yeah, how did you know?" he asked.

"I have no idea," she said staring at the water, "Have we met before?"

"Yes, about thirty years ago actually," he said studying her face. She was so different and yet the same. Her hair was shorter and tied back into two ponytails behind her ears. Although her face still looked so delicate, it seemed hardened with the experience of hardships. She didn't seem as innocent before.

"What happened thirty years ago?" she said cautiously, stepping back from him. His eyes were looking at her with love, love that she did not feel for him. "And stop looking at me like that!"

"Like what?" he said innocently, he took a step toward her.

"Like you love me! Wait, we weren't… married were we?" she took another nervous step back. He laughed.

"No, but close, very close," he took a step forward, "What do you remember?"

She gulped, "Remember about what?" He made her so nervous for some reason she couldn't put her finger on. She stepped back.

"About… Us?" he asked almost seductively. She grabbed her charm and automatically started turning it over inside her fist. Suddenly, an image came to mind.

"A sponge…" she gasped in embarrassment, she didn't mean to say that.

Loki raised an eyebrow, "what else?" He stepped forward and she stepped back. She flinched as another image came to mind.

"A smile…," she said nervously, then he smiled exactly the same way she had seen.

"And?"

"Ahhh… I remember fire," she said hesitantly, suddenly getting random images flash through her head. "I see fire, and ash, and lava, and exploding rocks and volcanos and heat, so much heat, AHHH!" She squealed and crouched down into a ball with her arms wrapped around her head. Loki crouched down beside her, "Are you- oh!" Phoenix had suddenly wrapped her arms around him. Her delicate arms barely made it around his shoulders.

"Abilene?" he said hopefully. But she shook her head slightly against his chest.

"I don't know who you are or where I come from, but this feels right," she whispered into his chest.

"I know. I've missed it so much," he hugged back. Then she realised what she was doing, with a complete stranger. She flung herself backward, away from Loki. Her normally pale cheeks were bright red with embarrassment.

"Wow, ok, um, so, yeah, I still don't know who you are, so, um, yeah..." she stuttered.

Loki flashed a brilliant smile, "Would you like me to show you around?" she nodded, but she had almost fainted. Phoenix remembered saying those exact words to him.

"This is another corridor, with more empty rooms. We seem to have a lot of those," Loki continued his grand tour of the Asgardian palace. Phoenix wasn't really listening, she just liked his voice_. He seems so nice and smart and clever, why would he ever 'love' someone like me?_ She thought. _I must have been a different person then. He doesn't love me, he loves that Abilene person. But she's gone, and I may never be her again._

"Phoenix?" Loki said, breaking her train of thought.

"Huh?" she replied a little dazed.

"I said, you do know Phoenix is a guy's name, right," he said cheekily.

"Ah, not necessarily!" she remarked.

"No, Phoenix is definitely a _male_ name," he laughed.

"Well, I am _not_ a man," she said proudly.

"I certainly hope not!" Loki joked

"There for, Phoenix is not _always_ a man's name," she said smartly, they both laughed a little and Phoenix found herself under Loki's arm.

"What did you love about me?" she asked bravely. Loki went tense and awkwardly moved his arm. He tried to pretend he didn't hear the question but Phoenix just stared at him expectantly.

"Ah, well…" he hesitated, "I wasn't expecting to… actually… truly…"

"Love me," Phoenix finished for him. He was so embarrassed he almost blushed. "Ok, I want to change my question."

Loki exhaled deeply, "Go ahead."

"What happened thirty years ago?" They stopped at a balcony. The sun was setting over the hills, turning the sky pink and orange.

"From the beginning?" he asked

"Of course," she said simply.

He took a deep breath then began their story. He was very detailed, but occasionally skipped certain details like the sponge bath. Loki told her everything right up until they fell out of the portal.

"Well we lay in the pine needles for a second or two and then-" Phoenix put her tiny cold hand over his lips. Loki's eyes were full of confusion, Phoenix laughed a little and removed her hand.

"What is it?" Loki asked.

"I remember!" she said, then suddenly she crashed her soft lips against his.

While Loki had the kiss he had been waiting thirty years for, Thor and Odin had planned to return to Balheim, soon.


	8. Chapter 8 - The End

"Loki… Wow! Maybe later then," Thor had just walked in on Loki and Abilene Kissing on the balcony with the sun setting behind them. It would have been romantic if they weren't making such gross sounds. Thor waited around the corner for them to stop. _Loki's first kiss,_ Thor thought, _or was it?_

"Thor have you told Loki yet?" Odin asked. Thor shook his head. "Why not? I'll do it… Oh!" Odin went around the corner and saw them kissing too, but he was louder than Thor and the couple noticed.

Abilene blushed bright pink but Loki just looked mad, "What is it, father?"

"I came to tell you that we are taking Abilene back to Balheim tomorrow," Odin told Loki.

"What?" Loki said through gritted teeth.

"What is Balheim?" Asked Abilene.

"You said you remembered," Loki's voice was gentle when he spoke to her.

"I said I remembered, I didn't say _what_ I remembered," she bit her lip nervously.

"What do you remember?" ask Thor, who was now beside Odin.

"I remember my name and… I remember Loki," Abilene said blushing and taking his hand.

"I'm sure it will all come back to you when we get there," Odin smiled but his eyes lied. He left the three of them standing there.

"I have to warn you, tomorrow might be the last time you will ever see each other," Thor said solemnly and he left as well. Loki and Abilene looked at each other in the eyes, both sad and happy.

"You know, the last time he said that was thirty years ago," he said, and Abilene smiled. She let go of his hand and stood at the balcony, looking at the water. Loki came up behind her and put his chin on top of her head. They stood there just looking at the sunset, neither of them wanting to disturb the moment. Then Loki said, "I waited a long time for you,"

"30 years isn't that long for people who have lived for a thousand," Abilene said smartly.

"It is without you," he whispered into her ear.

She turned around, "But-"

"Don't," he said smiling, knowing what she was going to say. He took her hands in his and looked into her eyes again, "I don't want that to ever happen again"

Abilene smiled shyly, the way she did they first met. Then Loki said, "So, I know you have to go… home tomorrow but… Will you marry me?"

Abilene looked at him and smirked. Loki's romantic presence dropped, confused by her reaction.

"What kind of a question is that?" she said finally and she kissed him again, more passionately then the first time.

The next morning, Abilene woke up in Loki's bed, his bare chest against her back. She was wrapped in his arms like he would never let go. She smiled, happy to be there. She felt safe in his arms.

"You awake?" Loki whispered half asleep.

"Yeah," she whispered back. He kissed her on her neck and a tear rolled down her cheek. Abilene was happy for this to be her last memory with him. Loki began to roll over.

"A little longer," she whispered. Just then, Loki couldn't have been happier. She wanted him, she loved him. It was the best feeling in the world.

"Come on, or Thor will drag us out," he laughed a little and squirmed out of her grip.

She smiled and said, "He wouldn't dare". She got up too and got dressed.

Thor and Odin were already waiting but they didn't comment on how late they were. Heimdall opened the Bifrost and they arrived in Balheim.

"Oh, my," Abilene gasped and grabbed her charm with one hand and Loki's wrist with the other. Everywhere she looked there were Volcanos exploding, lava bubbling and ash swirling through the air.

"You are late!" A deep voice came from behind them. They turned around to see the voice came from a tall, muscular man. He had thick black hair that was braided and hung down over his bare chest. Held a spear in one hand, it was as tall as him and had red and black ribbons that tied on a spear head. Next to the man was a woman with similar black hair. She wore a long black dress that was shorter at the front so that her knees were visible. Clinging to her legs was a little boy, the miniature version of the man. This was Abilene's family and she suddenly remembered how much she didn't love them.

"Aaron! Oh I see you have a new son," Odin said friendly, but King Aaron ignored him.

"Abilene," The king said, gesturing her to step forward. Abilene let go of Loki's arm reluctantly and stepped forward.

The Kings face was expressionless and stone cold as he suddenly threw his spear through Abilene's chest, sending her backwards into Loki.

"No!" Loki screamed, holding the struggling Abilene up. The spear was sticking out of her awkwardly. The royal family just walked away, in the direction of their hell whole kingdom.

Thor began to swing his hammer towards them but Odin stopped him, "Don't, it's too late!"

Loki still held Abilene up right but above him the Bifrost was opening. Odin had told Heimdall to open it in a few minutes; it was only supposed to be a drop off. They were sent back to Asgard.

Thor hurried over to Abilene and carefully pulled out the spear. Loki, his face was pure terror; lay her down on the floor in front of Heimdall. Abilene's head was on his lap. Tears ran down Loki's face as she coughed and spat blood on to her white dress.

"Abilene…" He whimpered, unable to do anything. Abilene slowly and painfully yanked at the chain around her neck and it unclipped. She placed it in Loki's hand.

"You… can have… it back," she rasped, coughing more blood.

"How did you know?" Loki asked crying.

"I… just knew," she smiled a little then coughed more blood. Then suddenly she stopped. Everything was silent. No one moved.

Odin looked out across the ocean, Thor stood next to Loki while he looked at Abilene. Her face had an expression of pain. The once flawless white skin was stained with blood around her chin and neck. Her snow white her was mangled and also stained with blood. Her crystal blue eyes were washed out by salt tears.

"Noooo!" Loki screamed to the midday sun, clutching the silver 'A' in his hand.

Three days after her death Loki was still heart broken, but he had questions he needed answered. Abilene didn't have a funeral because there was no one but him to mourn her death.

Although the blood was gone, Loki could still see Abilene dead as he stood with Heimdall at the Bifrost.

"How did you find her in the first place? How did you find her on earth?" Loki asked, his eyes were red raw from crying alone.

"I couldn't find her at first because there was nothing to look for, I had never seen her before," Heimdall began, looking into space, "But when she revealed her wings for the first time in thirty years, I sent Thor straight away,"

"Why did King Aaron, her own Father do that to her?" he struggled to say.

"I believe it is a custom in Balheim for the royal family to have one heir and one heir only. When Abilene…" Heimdall looked at Loki knowingly, "disappeared, they had a son. But when she returned,"

"Why? Why is it so important that they must have on heir that they would…" he stopped, choking on his words.

"In order to keep their kingdom strong they try to stop any form of division. If there is only one heir then there will only ever be on throne and one strong kingdom," Heimdall said calmly.

"Abilene was like a Phoenix in a bird's cage. She deserved better than that hell whole," Loki said sadly, but he made a silent promise to one day destroy that place.


End file.
